Christian Political Reform in the former USSR

MOSCOW – Russia and the republics of the former Soviet Union must be rebuilt by the people of God. The only hope for lasting freedom for theformer USSR is to teach biblical principles for the reformation of society to the younger generation. To do this, we must begin with the new generation of leadership in the Church and teach these principles from the Word of God.

In April 1991, I first visited Moscow with the hopes of starting a youth-oriented Christian newspaper which would sow the seed of biblical reformation into the hearts and minds of the younger generation. At that time, signs of communism still abounded. I hoped to complete our first press run of 100,000 copies that year. The very day we were scheduled to print our first issue of Predvestnik (The Forerunner), a communist coup attempted to put Mikhail Gorbachev out of power. All newspaper presses were seized by the Soviet army. The coup failed and our newspaper was printed in late August of 1991 in Moscow.

Four years later, Russia is much better off today than it was during the time of communism. There is no doubt that reform is taking hold. Politically, Russia is still at a crossroads, but don’t believe the hype of the western press! The liberal press is distorting the truth and actually mourning the death of communism! It’s difficult to even imagine a reversion to hard-line communism here. The Church in Russia has a great opportunity to be on the vanguard of the social and political changes. Many of the young pastors realize that the Church has this opportunity to be a body of reformers which can rebuild Russian culture. This was the theme of my six week trip which took me to four cities in Russia in August.

Christian Youth International Conference – During the last week in August, I participated as a workshop speaker in a Christian Youth International (CYI) conference in Yaroslavl. This conference marked an increased emphasis on outreach to the university campuses. Most of the institutes and universities in the former Soviet Union are completely unreached. Yet here is the very place where the future leaders of this society are being trained! If we want to change Russia, then we must change the university campuses first. One night, we went to Moscow State University and held a cell group meeting for campus leaders. Moscow State is to Russia what Harvard University is to America. Some of the top students in the world attend this university, including young people from Vietnam, China, North Korea, Mongolia, many nations in Africa, the Middle East and even Cuba. This is a strategic spot for evangelism and teaching of Christ’s liberating power for whole societies. We spent our time encouraging the Christian students to action and praying with them. At this meeting, out of the 24 present, two young people invited to the meeting by their friends gave their hearts to the Lord.

Russia’s National Pro-life Movement – Present at the CYI conference was Elena Uteshinskaya, the leader of a growing network of pro-life ministry throughout Russia. The last day of the CYI conference was an eight hour pro-life seminar. This was extremely significant because in Russia abortions outnumber live births by more than two to one. Elena is very advanced in the compilation of statistics on abortion and has a keen understanding of how the abortion holocaust relates to Russian culture. In the initial stages Elena is educating churches in how to minister to women who are victims of post-abortion syndrome, to begin counseling women in crisis pregnancies, and organize a nation-wide prayer rally on November 23, 1995 to mark the 40th anniversary of the legalization of abortion in Russia. We want to help Elena get better organized in Moscow by providing some much needed computer equipment, and to train her to begin publishing pro-life literature relevant to Russia’s situation.

Christian Political Party – Also present at the CYI conference were three candidates for the Duma (Russian Parliament) who are delegates of a newly formed Christian Political Party. The upcoming December parliamentary elections are crucial to the future of this nation. Russia has monumental problems, but Christian candidates will be taking biblical principles for reformation into the political sphere. These Christian political leaders see the Church in Russia (and especially the young student leaders) as potentially the most powerful and organized political force in Russia in days to come.

Even with limited resources, the Church can change Russia and all the republics of the former Soviet Union. God can give us the resources to preach the Word to the whole world from this nation. Will you be a part of what is happening in the great nation of Russia and the republics of the former USSR? Pray with us and believe God for a miracle that together we might rejoice in the Lord!

Your comments are welcome!

Why Creeds and Confessions? (Book)

High Quality Paperback — 219 pages

Foundations in Biblical Orthodoxy

﻿Driving down a country road sometime, you might see a church with a sign proudly proclaiming: “No book but the Bible — No creed but Christ.” The problem with this statement is that the word creed (from the Latin: credo) simply means “belief.” All Christians have beliefs, regardless of whether they are written.

Yet a single book containing the actual texts of the most important creeds of the early Church will not often be found. Out of the multitude of works on the evangelical Christian book market today, those dealing with the creeds of the Church are scarce.

Why Creeds and Confessions? provides a foundation of biblical orthodoxy as a defense against the false and truly heretical doctrines advanced by the spirit of this age.

The Real Jesus: A Defense of the Historicity and Divinity of Christ (DVD)

Who is the Real Jesus?

Ever since the dawn of modern rationalism, skeptics have sought to use textual criticism, archeology and historical reconstructions to uncover the “historical Jesus” — a wise teacher who said many wonderful things, but fulfilled no prophecies, performed no miracles and certainly did not rise from the dead in triumph over sin.

Over the past 100 years, however, startling discoveries in biblical archeology and scholarship have all but vanquished the faulty assumptions of these doubting modernists. Regrettably, these discoveries have often been ignored by the skeptics as well as by the popular media. As a result, the liberal view still holds sway in universities and impacts the culture and even much of the church.

The Real Jesus explodes the myths of these critics and the movies, books and television programs that have popularized their views. Presented in ten parts — perfect for individual, family and classroom study — viewers will be challenged to go deeper in their knowledge of Christ in order to be able to defend their faith and present the truth to a skeptical modern world – that the Jesus of the Gospels is the Jesus of history — “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He is the real Jesus.

Martin Luther: Digitally Remastered 1953 Classic (DVD)

“Here I stand … I can do no other!”

With these immortal words, an unknown German monk sparked a spiritual revolution that changed the world.

The dramatic classic film of Martin Luther’s life was released in theaters worldwide in the 1950s and was nominated for two Oscars. A magnificent depiction of Luther and the forces at work in the surrounding society that resulted in his historic reform efforts, this film traces Luther’s life from a guilt-burdened monk to his eventual break with the Roman Catholic Church.

Frank Schaeffer Will You Please Shut Up! (Book)

High Quality Paperback — 200 pages

A Reasonable Response to Christian Postmodernism

Includes a response to the bookChristian Jihadby Colonel V. Doner

The title of this book is a misnomer. In reality, I am not trying to get anyone to shut up, but rather to provoke a discussion. This book is a warning about the philosophy of “Christian postmodernism” and the threat that it poses not only to Christian orthodoxy, but to the peace and prosperity our culture as well. The purpose is to equip the reader with some basic principles that can be used to refute their arguments.

Part 1 is a response to some of the recent writings by Frank Schaeffer, the son of the late Francis Schaeffer. This was originally written as a defense against Frank’s attacks on pro-life street activism – a movement that his father helped bring into being through his books, A Christian Manifesto, How Should We Then Live? and Whatever Happened to the Human Race? These works have impacted literally hundreds of thousands of Christian activists.

Part 2 is a response to Colonel Doner and his book, Christian Jihad: Neo-Fundamentalists and the Polarization of America. Doner was one of the key architects of the Christian Right that emerged in the 1980s, who now represents the disillusionment and defection many Christian activists experienced in the 1990s and 2000s. There is still great hope for America to be reformed according to biblical principles. As a new generation is emerging, it is important to recognize the mistakes that Christian activists have made in the past even while holding to a vision for the future.

Dr. Francis Schaeffer - How Should We Then Live? (DVD)

Special Two-Disc Set!

After 40 years of intense study and world-wide ministry, Dr. Francis Schaeffer completed his crowning work of scholarship – to present profound truths in simple film language. Dr. Schaeffer’s brilliant analysis of the past and predictions for current trends have proven so uncannily accurate that this amazing series still feels contemporary almost three decades after its initial release. Ultimately, Schaeffer concludes that man’s only hope is a return to God’s Biblical absolute, the truth revealed in Christ through the Scriptures.

Available for the first time on DVD, this documentary spectacular also includes intimate in-depth conversations with Francis and Edith Schaeffer. With the on-disc study guide, this presentation forms a unique course of comprehensive study. While this series forms an innovative analysis of the past, this outstanding work is more than history. Each episode focuses on a significant era, yet speaks clearly to 21st-century man with answers for modern problems.

The Abortion Matrix:
Defeating Child Sacrifice and the Culture of Death is a 195-minute presentation that traces the biblical roots of child sacrifice and then delves into the social, political and cultural fall-out that this sin against God has produced. You can order this series on DVD, read the complete script and view clips on-line...continued ...